Deadly Dilemma

My cell phone rang and it was impossible for me to pick it up. I was traveling in Virar fast to Churchgate at 8 am, the peak traveling time for Mumbai rail commuters. I had boarded the train in Borivili and could not get any further than the entrance with my body contorted, which could be envy of any break dancer. In spite of the noise in the train the cell phone ring cut through it all like a hot knife through butter. Other commuters in the compartment glared at me with their patience running thin on a hot summer day. The caller was insistent and kept calling back with in short intervals. Then the cell phone turned off and gave a buzz which meant someone had left me a voice mail. To my relief the train reached Dadar and whole bunch of commuters rushed out, as another huge rush of people surged in. The couple of seconds this melee provided was all I needed to pick the cell and press couple of buttons needed to retrieve the message. I was proud of myself for the speed with which I drew the phone out, like cowboys from old western movies with their guns.

“Arun it is me” said the voice after which all I could hear was wails accompanied by long gaps of silence. I was about to cut the phone to hear the message again when the voice mail continued “Anand died”. I realized that it was Mira my girlfriend but the message left me dumbfounded. I continued to hold the phone wishing she would tell me more.

The message left me anxious not sure what to make of it. Mira and I had a good friend Anand who was our school mate. Anand lived in the same locality as we did. He was one of the few people we hung out with during the weekends. He had recently got married.

 Our supervisor at the call centre where we worked was also called Anand though his official name was Sadanand Nair. Anand was unlike any boss I had worked for. He was friendly and easy to get along with. He was quick on the help and slow on rebuke. Mira and I had been working in the same company for past few years because of Anand. Over these past few fears Anand had been our mentor and friend.

Now I was getting worried which Anand was it?  Last few weeks Mira was working the night shift and we would meet only on the weekends. That means she should be about to leave the office for her ride back home. Did someone from the neighborhood call to inform her of our friend Anand’s death? How could that be possible? I spoke to him last night and he sounded hail and hearty. There was a bridge connecting the neighborhood and the rail station, it was seldom used. Passengers in a hurry always crossed the tracks to reach to the rail stations. Was Anand struck by a speeding train?  I could not bare the thought of seeing Anand’s bleeding body, cut to pieces lying on a gurney covered with white sheet from head to toe. I could see the grief stricken face of Anand’s wife and his parents. My body took in an involuntary shudder at the very thought of it.

I did not think it was Anand my friend from our neighborhood, as he usually leaves for work late. Further my brother or mom would have called to let me know the news. If it was our boss Anand it was possible someone from his family could have called the human resources department to inform them. That must be it. It must be that lady from HR Veena and Mira’s buddy, who would have told her the news. Anand was very obese and did have a stroke in the recent past. He still lived his life large. He drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney. Anand had two grown up children who were in studying in college. He always spoke about his desire to retire to Ernakulam, his native land. I could visualize the scene at the hospital, the ward boys pushing his body across to the morgue and the family in grief and anguish. I wished to my bone that it was not Anand our boss.

Then who was it? How to distinguish between one grief over the other? I was confronted with this dilemma. I pressed speed dial for Mira’s number and it was engaged. I tried again to receive the busy signal.  Come on Mira I thought you are killing me. My heart palpitation was at all time high.

The phone rang, it was Mira. I pressed the talk button and she then told me who it was.

P.S. Would like to dedicate this to old memories and old friends. This is for you guys, Jayesh and Jai.